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Silviculture, Growth and Yield of Sandalwood

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Sandalwood: Silviculture, Conservation and Applications

Abstract

Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) tree flourishes well from the sea level up to above 1800 m altitude in different types of soils and climate. Sandalwood is a valuable forest tree, however, its disappearance from the natural habitat is at an alarming rate. Attempts have been taken to cultivate the species in farmlands to increase its production. The productive establishing of Sandalwood plantations and the increase of heartwood and oil extraction from these trees is very critical. The growth of Sandalwood is better in presence of a host plant, though it can grow without a host. Tree growth is the outcome of numerous and enormously complex processes, and it could be in terms of tree height, diameter at breast height, basal area or volume. In many instances, the growth takes place in a certain pattern, and it takes a considerable period to obtain information on growth behavior and to estimate expected yield based on the growth. Yield is proportional to heartwood girth which is dependent on site quality, type of soil, etc., and essential oil’s yield and quality vary depending on the area of cultivation and age of the plant. In this chapter, details of geo-climatic factors, climatic conditions, geology, topography and soil, where this tree species is habitually distributed are discussed, comprising natural regeneration, phenological details, and vegetative methods of propagation. Further, aspects of seed dormancy, seed germination, and host-sandalwood parasitism are also detailed. Silvicultural practices like inter-cultural operations and tree improvement are highlighted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Department, Govt. of West Bengal, Indian Forest Service, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Sudhir Chandra Das

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  1. Sudhir Chandra Das
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India

    Thammineni Pullaiah

  2. Forest Department, Govt. of West Bengal, Indian Forest Service, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Sudhir Chandra Das

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Shivaji University, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India

    Vishwas A. Bapat

  4. Department of Biotechnology, East West First Grade College, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    Mallappa Kumara Swamy

  5. Department of Biochemistry, REVA University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

    Vaddi Damodar Reddy

  6. Research & Development, Shivashakti Biotechnologies Ltd, Hyderabad, Telangana, India

    Kongdragunta Sri Rama Murthy

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Das, S.C. (2021). Silviculture, Growth and Yield of Sandalwood. In: Pullaiah, T., Das, S.C., Bapat, V.A., Swamy, M.K., Reddy, V.D., Murthy, K.S.R. (eds) Sandalwood: Silviculture, Conservation and Applications. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-0780-6_7

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